Imagine starting your day without any coffee. Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, Tim Hortons and vany other chains thrive on our coffee addiction. Add to that the fact that many of us have already had a cup or two even before venturing out to get a cup from one of those chains. Well, an Anonymous Coward has written in to tell us of some hard-working folks who had to give up real coffee for months at a time!
For years, the hard-working astronauts aboard the ISS had to begin their day with freeze-dried, reconstituted coffee served in plastic pouches. Now, this gross injustice may finally be remedied. The resupply mission scheduled to be launched today (Tuesday) will carry a new model of space espresso maker. Manufactured by Lavazza and the Italian aerospace firm Argotec, the machine is specially designed for microgravity operation, and uses off-the-shelf Lavazza coffee packets.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @11:19AM
Caf would make them piss more, that must be inconvenient in space.
(Score: 3, Informative) by LoRdTAW on Thursday April 16 2015, @09:49PM
That just means there will be plenty of recycled water to make more coffee.
(Score: 0, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @11:24AM
Because they deserve to get high in the 200-mile high club.
(Score: 2) by pkrasimirov on Thursday April 16 2015, @08:38PM
No laws in space! #yolo #nofilter #sohardcore #muchwow
In other news: It's raining men, hallelujah!
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by WizardFusion on Thursday April 16 2015, @11:34AM
I hate coffee, I can't even stand the smell. It's a horrible fowl drink. I much prefer tea.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @11:39AM
Into the harbor, ya tea-drunkin limey!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @11:47AM
I hate when people use a tie-wrap and don't cut off the extra unused part that sticks out.
I hate a lot of other stuff too.
I guess I am a hateful person deep inside.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @12:28PM
What, you couldn't figure a way to bring politics into this thread and had to go lowball trolling with tea vs. coffee?
(Score: 3, Touché) by Dunbal on Thursday April 16 2015, @12:37PM
No a fowl drink would be chicken or turtle soup...
(Score: 5, Funny) by aclarke on Thursday April 16 2015, @12:38PM
That's why coffee should be illegal.
Get it? Ill eagle? Horrible fowl?
Thank you for the opportunity to come here and make this pun.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday April 16 2015, @05:53PM
Thank you for the opportunity to come here and make this pun.
Pretty sure that pun was the horrible fowl.
(Score: 2) by rts008 on Friday April 17 2015, @01:04AM
At this point in the thread, I proclaim that this fowl has been fouled. Fouled beyond fowl by now.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday April 16 2015, @12:43PM
Team Tea representin'
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Thursday April 16 2015, @02:13PM
However, I will go along with the aroma thing for coffee - I'd rather sniff it that drink it to be honest.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @11:18PM
Daytime: oolong or orange spice is nice
Night: chamomile+mint
Coffee? I don't even like the smell.
When I worked in Miami, the Cuban gals in the office prepared Cuban Coffee.
That stuff is so strong that it's served in teeny-tiny cups.
The smell traveled down the hall, pervading every adjoining nook and cranny.
When I was a kid, someone sprinkled instant coffee on vanilla ice cream before serving it--and completely ruined that treat.
.
When I read this story elsewhere, it noted that this gadget was for a range of hot liquid foodstuffs.
In this thread, sudo rm -rf mentioned that tea and chicken soup are OK.
-- gewg_
(Score: 5, Funny) by Thexalon on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:14PM
I agree: coffee is a vile habit, especially when abused! Now, where did I put my breakfast stout?
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by goodie on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:34PM
I don't like its taste much as a drink (or I do but need lots of sugar to actually enjoy it and don't like the jitters and taste left in my mouth afterwards), but I absolutely love its smell! When I walk into a real bistrot (not a Startbucks where it just smells like burnt coffee to me) or opening a pack of coffee for the wifey, I love it! In fact I wish I liked drinking it actually :). Instead I'm more of a tea person. But in desserts, ice creams etc. I absolutely love it :).
(Score: 3, Funny) by M. Baranczak on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:35PM
Moderate coffee drinking is harmless, even in very large quantities.
(Score: 4, Informative) by sudo rm -rf on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:49PM
The ISSpresso provides:
(Mission Description [nasa.gov])
(Score: 3, Insightful) by goodie on Thursday April 16 2015, @05:15PM
I sure hope it does a better job at providing clean, tasteless water for a cup of tea made right after a cup of coffee than most commercial machines...
(Score: 2) by sjames on Friday April 17 2015, @01:51AM
It's a horrible fowl drink.
Well, There's your problem...
(Score: 5, Insightful) by dublet on Thursday April 16 2015, @11:50AM
Why does anyone need coffee to start their day? I rarely drink coffee, nor tea in fact and am as productive as I need to be.
The millions of people who depend on a shot of coffee to kickstart their day are no more alert than those who are not regular coffee drinkers, say researchers.
A cup of coffee, suggests a study, only counteracts the effects of caffeine withdrawal that has built up overnight.
"Someone who consumes caffeine regularly when they're at work but not at weekends runs the risk of feeling a bit rubbish by Sunday," said Peter Rogers, who led the research at Bristol University. "It's better to stick with it or keep off it altogether."
Source: The Guardian [theguardian.com], which in turn quotes a Nature study [nature.com]
"If anyone needs me, I'm in the angry dome. [dublet.org]"
(Score: 3, Interesting) by draconx on Thursday April 16 2015, @12:41PM
The text you quoted answers this question. We need coffee to start our day because we are addicted to coffee. Coffee drinkers understand this.
But it's not so bad, since coffee is the most awesome beverage on earth.
I've never met anyone who drinks coffee during the week but not on weekends. That seems pretty silly.
(Score: 1) by yarp on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:06PM
I drink coffee more or less every morning but sometimes (not usually by choice) I'll go without for several days yet this doesn't leave me with withdrawal symptoms. Am I doing it wrong?
(Score: 2) by frojack on Thursday April 16 2015, @04:36PM
The text you quoted answers this question. We need coffee to start our day because we are addicted to coffee. Coffee drinkers understand this.
Maybe heavy coffee drinkers.
Actually, its a pretty weak addiction, if it is an addiction at all. I usually have coffee most mornings. Its a rare day when I have another cup later in the day. (I don't wok near an always brewing pot like I did in my past jobs).
But on days I don't have time, or I am faced with only restaurant coffee, I just skip it.
I enjoy the coffee for taste. Especially a fine cup of Ethiopian Harrar.
But If I don't get it I'm none the worse for wear, and don't crave it.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Thursday April 16 2015, @10:15PM
Meet me. I drink anywhere from 3-5 cups per day at work. At home I do not drink coffee. And yes, that includes weekends. The only time I drink coffee outside of work is on road trips. And that is usually a cup or two at a rest/truck stop.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 17 2015, @07:33AM
Yeah, but you can't even capitalize properly. LoRdTAW indeed!
(Score: 2) by Kilo110 on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:06PM
That was my thought as well.
"Imagine starting your day without any coffee."
I don't need to imagine since I've been doing that for the better part of 3 decades. I'm just as awake as my caffeine-addicted coworkers. And I don't need to waste time buying a morning pick-me-up.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday April 16 2015, @02:45PM
Yes well that depends in large part on your own personal brain chemistry. I have struggled with caffeine addiction my whole adult life. I have been caffeine-free for periods up to a year, and I can attest that what you're saying about being just as alert without it is true. I can also say that during the times when I was purposely weaning myself from it I did train myself to perceive the smell of coffee as poison (which is actually easier when it's Starbucks you're smelling).
But...
Coffee is lovely. Caffeine is wonderful. I never developed an addiction to drugs, because I never had the crime quotient or bank balance to do so. But I also was afraid to try, because my system's response to mere caffeine was so euphoric that I somehow knew that if I ever sampled heroin I'd be done for. And I do. Feel euphoric after drinking coffee, that is. And when I quit caffeine, you don't want to be within 3 counties of me, I'm that cranky and evil.
So, take that for what it is. Everyone's chemistry is different, and condemning others for their coffee addiction (because your own dopamine levels are sufficient) is tantamount to picking on the fat kid for liking food--it's just how they're wired.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:23PM
(Score: 2) by sudo rm -rf on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:53PM
I don't own a television, you insensitive clod.
(Score: 3, Touché) by tibman on Thursday April 16 2015, @02:40PM
Yeah, but how many monitors do you own :P
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Phoenix666 on Thursday April 16 2015, @02:48PM
Me neither. I own a wall-mounted flat-screen display that I variously re-purpose as a music system via Pandora, an instructional aid via YouTube, an entertainment vehicle via Netflix, or a computing interface via RPi. What is this "television" thing of which you speak?
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Thexalon on Thursday April 16 2015, @04:07PM
It's a mind-control device that's so effective that people will pay good money to have their brains messed with.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Thursday April 16 2015, @04:20PM
It's a testament to the power of culture, isn't it? We could have almost as easily have evolved the practice in Logan's Run or The World Inside, where you interact with actual people to satisfy venal desires. Instead, we have the virtual (somewhat) satisfaction of TV and computers. Is the result better, or are we trending toward the insipid reality of Fahrenheit 451?
My read: Most would be taken in and taken over by simulacra, but in the end reality, and real experience, trump all.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @11:20PM
I thought of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery. [wikipedia.org]
I also though of the ST-TOS episode where a guy had violated the Prime Directive [memory-alpha.org] and reworked a planet's culture in the form of Nazi Germany and they televised executions.
-- gewg_
(Score: 2) by Tork on Friday April 17 2015, @12:32AM
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 17 2015, @06:02PM
Yeah, now I remember where I read about you [theonion.com].
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @08:59PM
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Thexalon on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:24PM
2 reasons explain everything:
1. Caffeine tolerance.
2. Sleep deprivation.
And yes, this tends to build up over time: sleep deprivation leads to using caffeine regularly leads to tolerance leads to more sleep deprivation leads to more caffeine ...
I dated a caffeine addict once, and being around me (I've always been quite happy without it most of the time) convinced her to try quitting. After a couple of weeks of headaches and drowsiness, she was able to sleep much better and was much more alert during the day. Yes, the plural of anecdote is not evidence, but in my experience caffeine really is best used as a very temporary measure.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 3, Informative) by frojack on Thursday April 16 2015, @04:45PM
She must have been a heavy coffee drinker. Because dropping coffee usually causes no problems, not even temporary ones.
Espresso, being nothing more than a dark roast, actually has less caffeine than typical brewed coffee. The longer you roast the beans the more of the caffeine you drive out. Even non-espresso darker roasts have less caffeine.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by kbahey on Thursday April 16 2015, @03:50PM
I went caffeine free for a month, after having 4 cups of black tea in the morning to noon (lightly brewed), and 2 cups of coffee around noon.
My sleep is now better. I don't need an hour to fall asleep and don't wake up during the night.
The first week without caffeine is miserable with withdrawal headaches. But after that, there is none of that.
2bits.com, Inc: Drupal, WordPress, and LAMP performance tuning [2bits.com].
(Score: 2) by TheRaven on Thursday April 16 2015, @05:29PM
sudo mod me up
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Thursday April 16 2015, @01:18PM
Do they get fresh vegetables?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Zinho on Thursday April 16 2015, @02:35PM
I thought the primary reason for freeze-dried/instant was not needing to bring up/dispose of the unused mass in grounds. Are they somehow composting or otherwise consuming the leftover grounds once the brew is complete? What about the filters?
The other big issue is aroma; I know lots of people like the scent of coffee, but not everyone does. On top of which, scent engineering is a big issue in spacecraft. The smell may interact with other scents in unexpected ways, leading to unpleasant odors that linger for quite long periods - not a good thing if you can't step outside for fresh air.
I'm sure that these issues have been at least thought about, if not addressed and resolved, but the fine article doesn't even mention them. Is the weight issue not as big a deal today? I guess if we're willing to ship up a breadbox-sized hunk of metal and steamworks to satisfy an Italian astronaut's cravings then the ground beans are just in-for-a-pound, in-for-a-penny.
"Space Exploration is not endless circles in low earth orbit." -Buzz Aldrin
(Score: 4, Funny) by tibman on Thursday April 16 2015, @02:42PM
Coffee scent might be amazing for the ISS. I'd imagine that the whole ISS permanently smells like footcrotch right now.
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Drake_Edgewater on Thursday April 16 2015, @03:45PM
Do they sell cartridge-based coffee machines as well? Because this looks to me like a fine piece of advertisement.
I don't understand why people buys these machines. They only work with cartriges of brand X. They produce a lot of plastic waste. If brand X stops producing cartridges, then the machine becomes obsolete. I can get coffee of the same or better quality using paper filters. Yet a lot of people are buying them, and they are advertised everywhere.
I recently bought a manual coffee grinder, and I totally recommend it. There is nothing like the smell of roasted coffee grains.
Anyway, I'm happy that our astronauts are being supplied with caffeine.
(Score: 2) by hubie on Friday April 17 2015, @02:12AM
At work we provide our own coffee. For a long while we had a simple 10-cup coffee maker. The problem was if only one person wanted coffee, he would have to make a pot which all wouldn't have been consumed. The extra coffee would be wasted. Then it was a pain to clean the coffee maker at work. We all chipped in and bought a Keurig. The price per serving is higher than before, but now we can easily make fresh coffee only for those who want it at any given time. No more half pot sitting for hours on the burner.
The issue of vendor lock-in is small with the machine we bought, the Keurig 1.0, because the patent ran out on the coffee cartridge and everyone makes coffee in that format now (and is why there is the new Keurig 2.0 with an attempt at DRM [engadget.com]).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @04:38PM
Have a heart attack.
I did, and it was bypass surgery that got me to give up both smoking and caffeine effectively.
I just wish it hadn't taken me that to give them up. (And yes, I still miss regular coffee and do drink decaf, so please understand I'm not trying to be self-righteous...)
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday April 16 2015, @05:13PM
Caffeine is reasonably safe in moderation. I wouldn't call 4 cups of coffee in the morning and 4 cups of coffee in the afternoon moderation. A cup of coffee in the morning and a cup of coffee in the afternoon is moderation.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday April 16 2015, @05:15PM
I'm not saying that you should drink any coffee after having heart trouble or having signs of heart trouble. As I'm sure your doctor told you to stop drinking coffee since it's a stimulant.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 16 2015, @09:27PM
True - didn't think you were implying that..... And I didn't mean to imply that a couple cups a day is harmful - I certainly had other issues that helped trigger the heart attack as well.
But even though I miss it and still use decaf as a substitute, the surgery did indeed end my days of using caffeine. (And, conversely, I don't *need* the caffeine any longer, either, which is the stage I'd reached before the heart attack.)
(Score: 2) by Hartree on Friday April 17 2015, @01:09AM
Depends on whether coffee seems to have a big effect on heart rhythm for you. For some people it definitely does. I seem to be able to get by with swilling the stuff so far.
Not so for tobacco. I stopped smoking at 22 in 1984 and it was a good thing I did. My dad developed COPD and died of it, and I found out then that my family on that side has a very high rate of lung trouble in middle to old age.
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Thursday April 16 2015, @07:59PM
given the cost per kilo to put something into orbit this is such a waste of money. Think about how much really useful stuff they could send up. And then there is the volume of the device, what else could they fit into that area that could actually be useful?
This feels like more of a PR stunt of some kind than anything meaningful.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 1) by tftp on Thursday April 16 2015, @09:25PM
Think about how much really useful stuff they could send up.
I do not know what science the ISS crew is doing. I am not even sure that they do any useful science at all. Nothing of public interest was reported for two decades. All notable discoveries in space are done by remote probes and orbital telescopes. To me it looks like the ISS crew is only doing the maintenance. If so, coffee is the most useful stuff that can be sent to the ISS :-)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 17 2015, @02:54PM
Educate yourself: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/experiments_hardware.html [nasa.gov]
(Score: 2) by sjames on Friday April 17 2015, @03:17AM
Morale is really useful when you have people in a confined and difficult environment for months at a time.
It may not have been at all wasteful. Not every flight is maxed out, the espresso machine and supplies might represent what would have otherwise been wasted capacity.